


Help

by alwaysgocrazy



Category: Stitchers (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:40:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6237139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwaysgocrazy/pseuds/alwaysgocrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After stitching into a rape victim, Kirsten goes a little bit too far out of safety and gets herself into more trouble than she ever expected.</p><p>**WARNING: Graphic to the point of potential triggering. Please read with caution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends. So, again, I just want to say that this is a very dark, somewhat twisted fanfic that I know many people probably frown upon. I want to also say that raping is not the overall plot of the story. It's more about Kirsten's recovery from it and the emotions she feels and how the whole Stitchers family comes together to help her (but that comes a few chapters later).
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“Isabella Castiglione. Born on July 28, 1996, found dead last night in an abandoned house. The ME ran a tox screen and found high concentrations of heroin, leaving the police to believe it was just a drug overdose. _Our_ ME checked her out and found that she was most likely raped and abused for weeks based on old, improperly healed injuries. We might have a rapist murderer on out there, and we need to get him. Let’s go.”

Maggie walked back into her office after giving her spiel, leaving the group of scientists to get to work. After about an hour, Kirsten walked into the lab with her cat suit on and ready to go.

“Lights at twenty percent!” called Cameron as Ayo helped Kirsten into the Fishtank. Cameron, teaching Camille how to run stitches, allowed her to run through the protocols. He took over when it came to communicating with Kirsten. “Mic check, one two, one two. You ready for this, Buttercup?” he asked.

Kirsten shrugged. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Good. Induce Stitch-Neurosync on my mark. Three, two, one, _mark_.”

***

Kirsten was thrown into an old memory. It was dark and just outside a local club. Isabella was talking to an older man, one in his early thirties if she had to guess. She spoke into her come to describe his appearance. “There’s a man talking to Isabella. Early thirties, Caucasian, short-ish brown hair with a beard, and brown eyes. Do you have a timeframe as to where I am?” she asked.

“Um…about a year ago,” said Cameron.

“Well, if this is our guy, then it could fit the bill. Can you bring me closer?” she asked.

“Only about a week before her death. She has some severe brain damage that affected her short-term memory,” he said as he maneuvered the controls.

Kirsten got tossed into a warehouse. She assumed it was where Isabella was kept and killed. She looked around the area and saw the same man come up to Isabella. “Oh, my _god_ ,” she murmured softly.

“What is it, Ace?” asked Cameron.

“He has Isabella restrained to the bed by her wrists and ankles. I-I don’t think I can even call it a bed. It’s just the bed frame with a mat on top. No sheets, no pillows, just iron.”

She heard a door slam then Isabella begin to scream. “Isabella has some sort of muffler on her mouth too. It’s keeping her to the bed.”

 _“Oh, shut up!”_ yelled the male that seemed to be Isabella’s murderer. He smacked the side of her face hard, quieting the girl immediately. _“It’s just Jack. He ain’t gonna help you, you know that.”_

Tears were running down Isabella’s face. Shaking furiously, she was able to get the mouth guard off but onto her neck. _“Help!”_ she screamed. _“Please, help me!”_

“I’m bouncing,” announced Kirsten.

Cameron was already at her side, watching her vitals carefully. “You okay there, K.C.?” he asked, reaching his hand up to rub her arm.

She immediately flinched away involuntarily. “Y-yeah. Sorry.” She shook her head. “There’s another guy—Jack. He might be the drug dealer.”

“Did you get the suspect’s name?” asked Maggie from above.

“No. Sorry.” She got out of the Fishtank and began drying off. “I-I need to go home and get some rest,” she said to no one directly but hoped Cameron would catch on and take her home.

“Can we debrief first while it’s all still fresh in your mind?” Maggie asked.

Kirsten sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.”

After getting changed—and taking her time doing so—she walked into Maggie’s office where the rest of her friends were already sitting. She plopped down into the chair next to Cameron. “So, what do want to know?”

“Why did you bounce so soon?” asked Maggie. It was a different tone than her normal no-bullshit one. It was a voice that was laced with concern, potential fear.

“Her emotions were too much,” she answered, trying to conceal her shaking hands.

“What did you see? Anything that could clue us in?”

“Umm…the warehouse was pretty bare. There were large crates and boxes scattered around, but that’s it. The man in the bar was the one who hit her. Find him, or traces of him, and you’ve got the guy. Anything else?”

Maggie shook her head. “Go home and get some sleep.” Kirsten nodded and walked out of the room. “Cameron, I want you to keep an eye on her. She’s never acted like this after a stitch, has she?”

Cameron shook his head. “No. Never. She can normally handle the emotions in the stitch, but after is what kills her. But I’ve never seen her bounce because of the feelings.”

Maggie nodded. “Watch out for her; make sure she doesn’t do anything crazy.”

“Roger that,” he said before getting up to track down Kirsten. The elevator was just about to close but he stuck his arm in to stop it. “Hey, Rocky,” he smiled.

Kirsten nodded towards him, arms crossed over her chest and fingers tapping.

“You okay?” he asked, leaning in a little closer.

“Fine,” she inhaled, closing her eyes. She leaned away as he got closer. “Just…just rough stitch, that’s all. It’ll pass, I’m sure.”

Cameron nodded, stepping away to give her a bit of space. “Okay. You need a ride home?” he offered.

“That’d be nice,” she said as the elevator opened. “Thanks.”


	2. Chapter 2

Cameron pulled into Kirsten’s driveway at around four-thirty in the afternoon. Kirsten looked over at him. “Thanks for the ride,” she said. “I’m just gonna go in and rest.”

“You want me to stay? Do you need anything?” he asked nervously.

“I’m fine Cameron. I’ll call you if I need something though, okay?”

Her kind eyes drilled into his heart. He nodded with a smile. “Hang in there, Stretch,” he said.

Kirsten got nodded and got out of the car. Once in the house, she locked herself in her room to do some research on her laptop. She searched the web for various warehouses across L.A. that may have been abandoned or owned privately. She found one on the Santa Monica shoreline that resembled a lot of what she saw in the stitch. She spent hours researching the location. As midnight rolled around, she closed her laptop and decided to do some field work alone. Was it the smartest idea? No, but she needed to get this case solved as fast as she could.

Kirsten called a cab to come pick her up. She gave the address to the cabbie and watched the surroundings as they drove. Less than an hour later, she arrived at the warehouse. She tipped the cabbie and slid out. This was definitely the place. It was dark and sketchy. The waves crashed loudly on the shoreline. The wind blew the trees around. The sounds were all so subtle in the stitch yet so familiar once she got there. Kirsten began walking around. The one large building had a faint light coming through one of the very few windows. She walked over slowly to peer in. Beer and whiskey bottles covered the floor inside. The metal bed she saw in the stitch was across the room, the leather straps hanging over the edges. There was no longer a mat on it. Kirsten could feel her breathing start to pick up. This was a worse idea than she even thought. She pulled out her phone as she turned around. She opened up the phone app and was about to call Cameron when she was grabbed.

The phone went flying. Her mouth was cover. Her arms were pinned down to her sides. She was out of control. A strong man pulled her along and into the warehouse. She tried fighting him, thrashing around in his arms as much as she could and attempting to scream.

“Shut up!” he yelled, throwing her against the wall. Kirsten took a deep breath before passing out.

***

“Where’s Kirsten?” Cameron asked Camille the next day.

Camille shrugged. “I thought you picked her up early this morning. She wasn’t home when I left.”

“Shit…” he cursed softly. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. “Hey Cupcake, where are you? Isabella is ready to share some info with you again. I’ll come get you if you need me to. Call me back.” He sighed heavily as he hung up. “Linus, search warehouses in a fifty-mile radius.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing?” he asked.

“Just…do it quicker.”

Linus moved his mouth to mimic Cameron and shook his head around.

“Camille, if you hear from her, please tell me, okay?” Cameron said nervously.

“Oh, come on, lover boy. If she’s going to reach out to anyone it’s going to be you. But I’ve got you covered.” She patted his shoulder gently.

***

Kirsten woke up with a killer headache. She groaned and rolled her head to the side. Her back was more than stiff; she could barely stretch it.

However, it was pretty hard to stretch to begin with. Opening her eyes slowly, she realized her arms were tied tightly back around a wooden post, presumably an old one from the structure that might have lived there before the warehouse. She tasted a dirty cloth in her mouth and, again, realized she was tied back with an old shirt of some sort.

She began to jerk around, kicking her legs to attempt to get an echo to go throughout the room.

“Hey, hey, hey! Keep it down!” called a man. It was the same voice Kirsten heard in the stitch and the same voice she heard the night before. “I’ve got a killer hangover and your rowdiness isn’t helping!”

Kirsten screamed as best she could through the cloth but then flinched and silenced when a beer bottle was thrown at her. The man from the stitch walked out in front of her. “Glad you’re up, Princess. Now let’s talk.”


	3. Chapter 3

“What are you doing here? And how did you even find this place?”

“Why did you hold Isabella Castiglione hostage for over a year?”

“How…Shit, you’re with the cops, aren’t you?”

Kirsten shrugged and tilted her head back and forth. “Not so much the cops, but it’s something like that.”

 _Smack!_ There was going to be a bruise on the side of her cheek later. “I didn’t kill her on purpose. I loved her; why would I kill someone I loved?”

“Really? I don’t know what you’re definition of ‘love’ is, but I know you didn’t love her,” Kirsten shot back. She kept a stern face and tried her best to ignore the pain.

“You don’t know _jack shit_!” he yelled, throwing an empty whiskey bottle at Kirsten’s head.

“Really? I don’t? Then tell me, look me in the eye and tell me, that beating, raping, and yelling at somebody is love. Tell me that.”

The man bent down to Kirsten’s level. “I like you, Princess,” he said, getting real close in her face. “Might even fall for you.”

Kirsten spat in his face, earning herself a bash on the back of her head on the post she was still tied to. She clenched her jaw tightly and shut her eyes, shallow breaths escaping. “Do it then…”

The man gripped her by the throat. He held her there as he cut the rope that restrained Kirsten to the post. Once free, he lifted Kirsten up and dragged her to the pathetic bed, throwing her onto it. That was the last blow Kirsten could handle. She passed out and let whatever that man wanted to do, do.

***

Two hours had passed and nobody had heard from Kirsten. Now, Maggie was getting irritated. Cameron decided to take it upon himself to go find her. He grabbed his car keys and drove to her house.

He used the spare key Kirsten gave to him the week before because he had given her one to his apartment. “Kirsten…?” he called into the house as he cracked the door open. “You here?”

He opened the door all the way and entered. The house seemed to be normal—dishes were left in the sink from breakfast, pillows and blankets were placed nicely on the couch, and the dining room table looked the same as always. Cameron proceeded to go explore Kirsten’s room. Her bed was unmade because “it’s silly to make the bed if you’re only going to sleep in it fourteen hours later.” Her laptop was sitting on her desk, however. Kirsten always had her laptop with her.

Cameron sat down at the desk and opened it up. Of course, there was a password on it. He sent Camille a text to see if she knew, and she surprisingly did. “DoNotEnter!” Cameron smirked; go figure her password was a command as to what _not_ to do. Once in, he went into her internet history. All of it was cleared. There was, however, a new bookmark. He clicked the link and was brought to a site that had all of the Santa Monica warehouses. He texted Fisher the link, hoping it was a connection to the case. 

There was one warehouse in particular that caught his attention. It was similar to the one Kirsten briefly described before going into a panic. He scribbled down the address before hurrying back to his car, taking Kirsten’s laptop with him.

***

When Kirsten woke up, she was stripped naked in the back of a van. Her wrists and ankles were zip tied together, and she was far too weak to try and break them. A piece of duct tape covered her mouth along with a cloth of some sort inside. She took a sharp breath inward through her nose and closed her eyes. She knew there was next to no luck of anyone finding her now until it was too late. Giving into her drooping eyes, she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Kirsten woke up in a new warehouse. She couldn’t hear the waves of the ocean crashing on the shoreline, but she could hear a faint train. She was strapped down to the bedframe like Isabella was in the stitch. Everything began to hurt. Her head was killing her, her chest and abdomen made it hard to breathe, and her arms and legs ache like hell.

She heard a door shut and looked over to where the noise came from. The man without a name walked in around a corner of large boxes. “Oh, good! You’re finally awake.” He had a smile plastered on his face. He stood above Kirsten. “I brought you some food—bagel?” He pulled a plain bagel out of a paper bag. Kirsten only glared at him. “Okay, that’s fine. More for me,” he grinned as he took a bite. He began to pace around. “I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is David, pleasure to meet you, Miss Clark. And before you ask how I know, you had your ID on you.” He pulled out Kirsten’s government ID and began to read off of it. “Kirsten Elizabeth Clark: Born on June 13, 1991, five-foot ten, approximately one hundred and twenty-five pounds, and lives at 4104 Hartford Road, Los Angeles.” He smiled at her. He picked up the back she brought with her. He pulled out her ID card to get into the lab. “Now, here’s what’s interesting. You have this badge that says you work in an office building off 8th Street in LA. I looked up the area and the only office building in the area belonged to a lawyer. But the company you work for didn’t show up as part of that office building. It actually seems to not exist. I did some research, and the only thing I came up with was this conspiracy of it being this obscure government program. Do I think it’s real? Not exactly, but just to be safe, I had to move us. Welcome to your new home!”

Kirsten jerked around in her restraints, causing a loud ruckus. “Keep it down, will ya? I got my dealer over here sleeping and I owe him a shit ton of money I don’t have. Don’t want you to wake him.”

She only made more noise. She tried to make as much noise as she could with her screams, but the cloth that had been in her mouth for hours was still there and lodged deep in her throat.

“That’s it,” David said as he shook his head. He punched Kirsten’s abdomen hard, causing her to cry in pain but not stop trying to break free. “That’s not enough? Well, I do like a screamer.” David began to undo his belt. He dropped his pants and boxers and crawled on top of Kirsten.

Kirsten’s eyes were wide. She couldn’t pull her legs together to attempt to prevent him from entering her body. She couldn’t fight him off. She was pathetically useless. She felt hot tears burn the sides of her face as David thrusted in and out of her. “Yeah, you like that, huh? Moan in pleasure instead.” Kirsten squeezed her eyes shut tightly and shook her head. She felt him begin to massage her breasts. She hated it. She hated every last bit of it. Yet she endured it, only praying it would end soon.

***

The police were all over the warehouse. It became a massive part of the Isabella Castiglione case and the new missing persons’ case. Cameron stood by Fisher’s side the entire time. “Do your guys have anything?” he asked nervously.

“It’s not like the TV shows. You can’t just look at a crime scene and know what happened based on one strand of hair or something. They’re doing everything they can as quick as they can,” Fisher explained.

Cameron nodded nervously. Camille came up behind him. “C’mon, let’s go get something to eat.”

He, she, and Linus went out to a nearby seafood restaurant. Cameron barely ate anything.

“Dude, at least eat your fries,” Linus encouraged. “You’re gonna starve yourself.”

Cameron pushed the plate to him. “You eat them. I don’t want anything.”

Camille reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. “We’re going to find her, Cameron. They messed with the wrong people. We’ve got all of LAPD on our side, we’ve got the entire program searching, we’ve got everything.”

“And think of it this way: You may have saved her life by bringing attention to it all and finding the warehouse,” said Linus.

“What if we don’t find her?” Cameron frantically turned his attention to his two friends. “What if…what if she’s already dead? And then we just find pieces of her? What if the cops don’t get any leads and it becomes a dead case? She’s probably going through the same thing that Isabella girl went through, meaning she’s probably already black and blue with another man constantly fucking her against her will. I-I-I can’t take it!” He stood up while tugging hard at his hair.

Both Camille and Linus guided him out of the restaurant. “You’ve got to calm down,” said Camille. “She’s going to be okay, Cameron. Trust me.”

“And what if she’s not?! What then?! We just give up? Forget she was ever a part of our lives?”

“We’ll never forget about her, Cameron,” Linus said calmly as he touched his friend’s shoulder. “We’re going to find her. You’ll see her again.”

Cameron rubbed his face, wiping away the tears in his eyes. “Yeah. Okay, we’ll find her.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. It's kind of the idea that sparked it all, so it's getting to the core of the story now (I think). There's some serious Camsten in this chapter too. Hope you enjoy.

A week of torture went by. A whole week. Kirsten’s body was black and blue almost everywhere with a cut or two on her face. Her thighs were so weak from trying to close them and prevent David from penetrating her. A neck and mouth strap was added to the bed to restrain her even more. She almost got her wrists out at some point in the week, but David realized this before she completed her escape. He sprained her wrists to try and get her not to try again. (He was trying to break the bones, but couldn’t manage to with Kirsten’s fighting.)

Kirsten heard the door open and numerous feet running in. She screamed as loud of she could with the leather strapped across her mouth.

“Shit…” David said. “Let’s get out of here!” he told his partner, Jack.

Fisher and his police squad, Cameron, Camille, Linus, and Maggie all came running in. Fisher ran towards the two men trying to escape while Cameron locked eyes with Kirsten.

He ran ahead as fast as he could to Kirsten. “Oh, my god. Oh, god, Kirsten…” he cried as he began to undo the straps.

Kirsten took deep, heavy breaths once her mouth was free for the first time in a week. Camille was the second to come up to her. She and Linus began to unstrap her ankles. Kirsten pulled her legs up and tightened them together as much as she could. Cameron undid the neck brace and freed one arm. She threw her arm up around him and pulled him down to her. “Hold me!” she cried in his shoulder.

He collapsed down next to her and held her as closely as he could. “I need to get your other wrist out,” he told her.

“I got it,” said Camille. Once freed, Kirsten climbed onto Cameron and wasn’t letting go for dear life. “Bring her outside,” Camille said.

“I’ve got Ayo on her way,” Maggie told them. “Bring Kirsten into the car and stay with her until she gets here.”

Cameron lifted Kirsten up off the metal bed. “Here,” Linus said as he took off his jacket. “She’s probably freezing, or would at least like to be covered.” He rested it on Kirsten carefully before walking out with Cameron and Camille to the car. Maggie stayed behind to talk with Fisher after.

“Why don’t you just sit in the car with her,” Camille suggested.

“No, you guys can come in. Is that okay, Kirsten?” Kirsten didn’t budge.

“Just keep her calm. We’ll be right out here,” assured Linus.

Cameron nodded, sliding into the car. He tried to pry Kirsten off of him so that he could cover her body some with Linus’ jacket and the blanket they brought but her grip was too strong. Sighing, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around them.

He felt tears on his neck. He fingered carefully through Kirsten’s matted hair. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here and I’m never, _ever_ letting go.” He squeezed her small, broken body. “You’re safe here in my arms. I won’t ever hurt you, Kirsten. Never.” Every move he made, he was careful.

After a few minutes, a large van pulled up. Cameron peered out the window to see Camille and Linus walking up to it. It must’ve been Ayo and some other medics. “Kirsten,” he whispered, “Ayo is here. She’s going to take care of you.”

No response.

“Kirsten…” He pulled his head away and looked at her. She was pale with eyes shut. He felt her wrist for a pulse. It was slow but there. He felt her chest to make sure she was breathing, which she was. That didn’t calm his nerves enough, though. He got out of the car as carefully as he could. He rushed towards the van. “Low pulse and soft breathing. Please, _please_ take care of her.”

“You know we will, Cameron,” Ayo assured. A gurney was rolled out. “Can you lay her down?” she asked.

Cameron nodded. He slowly lowered Kirsten down on the mobile bed. She must’ve been passed out because her entire body was limp.

The team began to cover her body with monitor stickers that Cameron was all too familiar with. “C-can I come with?” he asked with a breaking voice.

Ayo gave him heartbreaking eyes. “We need all the space we can get. We’re going back to the lab and she’ll be in the room we have there. You can meet us back there.”

Everyone could see Cameron crumble inside and out. Camille wrapped her arms around his torso. “It’s okay. She’s in the best care. Let’s go follow them,” she said as she tried to pull Cameron along.

He took small steps toward the car while watching the other medics loaded Kirsten into the van.


	6. Chapter 6

Kirsten groaned as she stirred. For the first time in what felt like forever, she didn’t feel pain. She felt almost numb and groggy, but it was much better than being in constant fear and agony.

She stirred in her bed, moving her hands slightly and feeling another pair grip hers. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty…” a familiar voice said.

She turned her head towards the voice. Squinting at the bright light above, she opened her eyes. A smile grew across her face. “Cameron…” she murmured, surprised her voice still worked.

“Hey.” A hand that was on hers went up to her head. He ran his fingers through her hair. “How do you feel?” he asked.

Kirsten grunted. “Shit. But quality shit.” She almost giggled at herself.

Cameron sighed. “I don’t know if quality shit is a thing, but I’m glad you’re getting better.”

Sharply breathing, she whispered, “Will you hold me?”

Cameron truly didn’t know what to say. He saw the pain in her eyes and wanted to comfort her as best as he could, but after everything she had been through, he wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. He thought for a moment, debating if it was a good idea. After a few moments, he nodded. “Sure.” He lifted the gray bar separating them and crawled into the bed.

Kirsten moved over and made herself comfortable in his arms. “Thank you.” She snuggled into his shoulder, immediately feeling safer, more comfortable, and even protected. “You won’t let me do anything like that again, right?” she asked with a hint of nervousness.

Cameron shook his head. “No. Never. You’re never going through that ever again. I’ll protect you, keep you safe, like I’ve always said.” He kissed the top of her head. “I could _never_ let that happen again.”

Sensing his guilt, she peered up. “It’s not your fault I was reckless and stupid and sneaky. I just…I wanted to make sure Isabella got the justice she deserved. And then…” She could feel her eyes brimming with tears.

Cameron caught her tears, though. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, Stretch. I’m here. You don’t have to worry.” He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “I’ll always be there for you.”

Kirsten let her tears fall and crumbled in Cameron’s arms. She sobbed until she couldn’t anymore and just fell asleep. Cameron kept her tight in his arms, humming soft lullabies to her as she rested. “Oh, Kirsten…” he murmured once she was out. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there. I should’ve known. I-I”—he didn’t even know anymore—“I’m sorry.” He cried softly into her hair. “I love you so much. I wish you knew and understood how much I love you. You’re not alone, Kirsten. You’ll never be alone. I’m here, Kirsten, I’m here…”

***

Kirsten slept for another eighteen hours. Catching up on a week’s worth of sleep was hard. When she finally awoke, a strong pair of arms caressed her. “Cameron…?” she murmured hoarsely. She could hear him snore quietly, making her smile. “Thought you said you didn’t snore…” She wrapped her arms around his torso and pressed her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was her favorite sound. She listened to it bump in rhythm to her own that was being monitored and beeping.

Cameron began to stir, tightening his grip on Kirsten. “Ow…” she mumbled, him squeezing her back in just the right place to make it hurt.

His eyes shot open. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” His arms loosened entirely and almost let her go.

“No. Still hold me. Please?” She looked up at him, needing him to protect her, keep her away from the monsters.

He nodded with a smile. He adjusted his arms so that they weren’t in such tender spots. “Do you need me to up the morphine?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Just…you.” Her head rested back down onto his chest to listen to his heart’s rhythm. Her fingers tapped on his shoulder to the beat. “I’ve, um…I’ve missed you,” she admitted.

Cameron looked down. “You scared me. I was so worried about you.” He nuzzled his face in her hair. “You have no idea…”

“I need you to keep me from doing stupid shit like this…” She began to cry on his shirt.

“Shh, I will, love, I will,” he assured. He held onto her as tight as he could. “You’re safe here, Kirsten. You’re safe here in my arms, okay?” He rocked her in his arms, trying to keep her calm. “You’re safe, Kirsten. You’re safe.” It was the only thing he could say.

“I’m safe…” she murmured. “I’m safe.”

Cameron nodded in her head. “That’s right, Princess. You’re safe here.”

It was no longer Cameron. Kirsten pulled away as quickly as possible, looking down at him. “No. No, no, no. No!” She sat up and began pulling at her IVs and monitors. Her heartrate increased far too rapid for comfort that it set off alarms.

“Kirsten, I—”

“No!” she screamed as she crawled out of the bed. She tore out two of her three IVs and ripped off all of the heart stickers. She ran as quickly as a bruised girl could to the other side of the room, crying and screaming profusely. “No! Y-you can’t be here! Get out! Leave!” she yelled.

Nurses started to rush in along with Camille and Linus who had just arrived at the hospital for the day. IV fluids fell down and made a mess all over the floor; various chairs and stands were pushed down by Kirsten in an attempt to keep everyone away from her.

The three nurses in the room tried to calm her down and begin talking, but Kirsten refused. She eventually ducked down and crawled between them. She stumbled to catch her balance again then ran down the hallway and towards the elevators as quickly as she could. She pushed the button over and over again, getting more panicked when it didn’t open.

A handful of male nurses and security guards rushed towards her, causing her to scream loudly. She ran down the next corridor and found the stairs. She swung the door open and began to run, making it down two flights before tripping and falling down another flight. Even with the immense amount of pain she was enduring, when the men came at her, she still tried to push away. “Please…” she cried. “Don’t hurt me! _Please!_ ”

They all surrounded her, only making her panic more. One nurse, a smaller and younger one, spoke up. “Hold on, back up, back up,” he told everyone. They all listened. He bent down to Kirsten’s level. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. None of us are here to hurt you. We’re here to help you, okay?”

Kirsten’s breaths were quick and shallow. The man speaking to her was the complete opposite of her abuser: he had dark African skin with contrasting silver eyes with a frame smaller than most men. She stared at him for a few moments, trying to focus on just him. “You promise none of you will hurt me?” she asked softly.

The man nodded. “None of us will hurt you, I promise. I’m Daniel, okay? And you’re…?”

“Kirsten,” she answered.

“Kirsten. Alright, Kirsten. Well, I’m going to put this mask on you to help you breathe”—he took the oxygen mask and tank from the person to his right—“and give you a quick little shot to help with your pain, okay?”

“Sh-shots hurt, though,” she pointed out weakly.

“It’s okay. Because”—he stuck the needle into her arm quickly and injected her with its contents—“it’s already done and over. Did you feel anything?”

Kirsten shook her head, immediately feeling sleepy. “Thank you…” she murmured before passing out.


	7. Chapter 7

“Sir, we need you to leave,” said the head nurse of the ICU.

“I-I’m not going anywhere. No, I-I can’t leave her. Please, let me just stay in the waiting room or something. I won’t be in or near her room, but you’ve got to let me stay,” Cameron pleaded.

The nurse shook her head. “I’m sorry. If a patient freaks out like that to anybody, we ask them to leave for their safety and the patient’s. It’s just the policy.”

Camille stepped between them. “Give us a moment, please?” She pushed Cameron back. “Listen, you need to calm down.”

“I’m fine! I’m calm! I just need—”

“No, you’re not fine or calm! Look, I know you think you need to be here for Kirsten, but you don’t. Not right now. She’ll probably be asking for you the minute she wakes up, but until that happens, just listen to the nurse, go home, shower, get some rest, and wait for us to figure out what happened.”

“But what if—”

“I will be sure to call you if anything changes or happens. I promise, Cameron. I’m not going to leave you in the dark, okay? You’re going to be here without physically being here. It’ll all work out, I promise.”

Cameron took a sharp breath in. He had to go. It would be best for everyone. He didn’t want to admit it, but he needed to leave, give Kirsten some space. He ran his fingers through his hair roughly. He closed his eyes to think for a moment. _What did I do to set her off?_ he thought. _What did I do? She just said she was safe, and I told her she was right. Then I called her ‘Princess.’ But I’ve called her ‘Princess’ countless times before. Unless…_

His eyes flew open. “That son of a bitch…” he cursed.

“What? What, Cameron, what is it?” Camille wondered anxiously, placing her hands on Cameron’s upper arms.

“I know what did it. That son of a bitch called her ‘Princess’ and when I said it, it sent her through a loop. God, damn it…” He laced his fingers together and placed them behind his now drooping head. “I’ve gotta go. She won’t want to see me; she can’t see me.”

“Cameron, it’s not your fault!” Camille tried to explain. She walked quickly to get in front of him. “Hey, look at me.” She tilted his head up so they could make eye contact. “It’s not your fault. Okay? Say it back to me: ‘It’s not my fault.’”

“But it is, Camille! Now, all she’ll see me as is her rapist! She won’t be able to look at me without having horrific images flash by! I screwed it up and now I’ve got to go.” He pushed her aside and went to the elevators.

Camille ran her fingers through her hair. “Cameron, look, tell me one last thing. When she wakes up and asks where you are, what do you want me to say?”

He shook his head, tears falling down his cheeks. “Tell her I’m sorry.”

The elevator dinged and he walked into it, leaving Camille stuck with the task of explaining and dealing with an emotionally-charged Kirsten.


	8. Chapter 8

Camille sat in the chair Cameron had been living in for the past few days watching Kirsten sleep off whatever drug the nurses gave her. Despite her best efforts to convince them otherwise, they had to restrain Kirsten down to the bed with the wooly cuffs around her wrists and ankles. She tried to explain how much worse it would be for everyone once she did wake up, but nobody listened.

After about two hours passed, Kirsten began to stir. Camille leaned in close to her friend and placed a hand on her head. “Cameron…?” Kirsten mumbled.

Breaking Camille’s heart, she said, “No, sweetie, it’s me instead. Cameron had to go home.”

“Why…?” she groaned, now trying to roll over but unable to because of the restraints. Her eyes shot open. She began tugging her wrists and ankles, trying to get out. She whimpered softly, staring at Camille with watery eyes.

“Hey, shh, calm down, calm down,” whispered Camille. That didn’t help. Kirsten began thrashing around. “Okay, settle down and let me help you get out, okay?” She nodded to Kirsten, placing a hand on her arm to try and calm her more.

After a few heavy breaths, Kirsten nodded. She laid flat on her back with her eyes closed tightly, trying her best not to focus on being restricted. Once freed, she pulled herself together into a fetal position, facing Camille and holding her hand tightly. “Thank you.”

Camille nodded and kissed her friend’s head. “You’re welcome. Now, no more freaking out and running out of the hospital, okay?” She tried to smile, but the whole situation scared the hell out of her.

However, Kirsten nodded. “I-I’m sorry about that. It’s just…” She inhaled deeply. Just the thought of what happened hurt her. “Cameron called me ‘Princess.’ I used to love it when he called me that. But then…then David _only_ called me that. He-he called me Princess whenever he talked to Jack; he called Princess whenever he talked to me; he-he…” She was sobbing at this point. She thought about how often he called her Princess when he raped her. It was the only thing he seemed to say throughout the process.

Camille pushed down the gray bar between them to comfort Kirsten. She fingered gently through her hair in an attempt to settle her nerves. “It’s okay, Kirsten. He’s not gonna hurt you ever again. Fisher got him, remember? And Cameron feels horrible that he didn’t know. He won’t call you that again, I know he won’t. He just didn’t know.”

“I know he didn’t know,” she sniffled, “but I want him back here so I can apologize. I want him here to-to keep me safe…” She squeezed her eyes shut, hugging Camille’s arm.

“I know, sweetie, I know. I’ll call him, okay? You can talk to him on the phone,” offered Camille.

That wasn’t good enough. “No. I want him here with me. Call him and-and tell him to get his ass back here.”

Camille smiled. She ruffled the blonde’s hair before leaning back in the chair. “Okay. I can do that.” She reached into her purse to pull out her phone. She watched Kirsten intently, making sure she remained calm.

Cameron answered on the first ring. “What happened?” he asked anxiously.

“Relax, she’s fine. She just woke up and is asking for you to come back.”

“No. I can’t. You heard what the nurses said; it’s for her safety.”

“Okay, but right now, she doesn’t feel all that safe without you. They put goddamn restraints on her and she just about flipped again. I got her out of them in time, thank God, but still. She wants you here with her, Cameron.”

She heard a sigh on the other line. Then she noticed the glossy, blank expression on Kirsten’s face. “Kirsten…?” she said as she touched her. “Kirsten, are you with me?” Then, her body began to shake and convulse around, her mouth dropping and eyes rolling back. “Shit!” Camille yelled. “Nurse!” she called, dropping her phone on the ground and holding Kirsten on her side.

Three nurses hurried in, one taking over Camille’s position, another stabilizing Kirsten’s neck, and the last checking vitals and preparing the lorazepam.

Camille picked up her phone and stepped aside, trying to understand the frantic stammering from Cameron. “Hey, calm down!” she said firmly. “Freaking out isn’t going to help anything!”

“What the hell is happening, Camille?! I heard you call in a nurse! What’s going on?!” yelled Cameron.

“She’s having a seizure, okay? But the nur—”

“A _seizure_?! Shit, that’s it. I’m coming. Security is going to have a hard time dealing with me,” he said with keys jangling in his other hand.

“Fine, but you need to settle down before coming in here! You can’t come in all panicked and flustered and expect to be allowed back into a room somebody begged you to leave.”

“But you said she was asking for me! Which is it, Camille? Does she want me there or not? Because I can’t stand and do nothing forever.”

“She wants you, Cameron, okay? But you’re going to scare her if you come in shaking like a dog. She’ll think something is wrong when seizures are relatively common to brain injuries.”

“Oh, great. So, now this seizure isn’t a big deal. That’s just great, Camille.” She heard Cameron’s car door slam and engine start on the other end. “I’m coming. And if she doesn’t want me there? Fine. I’ll leave again. But if she wants me there, I’m staying whether I look insane or not.”

Exhaling the breath she didn’t realize she was holding, Camille gave in. “Whatever. Get your ass down here, hysterical or not.”

Almost ninety seconds had passed before Kirsten stopped seizing. One nurse came up to explain to Camille essentially what she already knew: Seizures happen in one of every ten severe brain injuries, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise Kirsten had one. She was going to be out of it up to a few days, but should bounce back relatively quickly since it wasn’t an extremely long seizure. If it happens again within the next twenty-four hours, there might be a bigger problem doctors overlooked. An MRI was scheduled for the next day to examine everything and see if anything new arose.

After hearing the long spiel, Camille sat back down next to Kirsten. She pushed back the girl’s messy hair. “You’re going to be okay, I promise,” she whispered.

Kirsten stirred at Camille’s voice, grunting quietly. “C-c-c…” She couldn’t get the full name out.

“Yeah, it’s Camille.” She heard her whimper and shook her head. “Cameron is on his way, okay? He’ll be here soon.”

And to her surprise, the devil himself walked in. “Kirsten…” he said breathlessly.

Camille stared at him with her jaw dropped, eyes squinted, and brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t even wanna know how many traffic laws you broke to get here in five minutes.”

“Hey, it’s only bad if you get caught. How is she?” His wit was quick but his concern was greater. His eyes never left Kirsten as he walked over to Camille.

Kirsten heard his familiar voice and reached out towards it. “C-c-c…”

“Cameron. I’m right here, Stretch, right here by your side,” he assured, taking her lost hand into his.

“I-I-I…” She struggled and stuttered through her words, trying to piece together something coherent. “S-s-sor-sor—”

“Sorry?” asked Cameron. She nodded. “No, shh, don’t be sorry. Rest; you need it.”

She tugged gently on his hand, wanting him in bed to hold and protect her. Camille assisted in the translation. “Get up there and comfort her,” she said.

Cameron stared at her blankly. “I-I can’t. What if—”

“She doesn’t want you to? Well, I can tell you right now that she desperately does and if you don’t get your ass in that bed, you’re going to be sorry.”

His eyes went from Camille’s to Kirsten’s. He noticed the mistiness in them and crawled in with her, wrapping his arms around her small body. Camille stood with a smile. “I’ll be in the waiting room if either of you need me, okay?” she said.

“Thanks…” murmured Kirsten with a few fingers wiggling in an attempt to wave.

Camille smiled and leaned down to kiss her head. “Hey, that’s what friends are for. Get some rest now.”

Kirsten nodded slightly with her eyes drooping shut. Cameron reached out and grabbed Camille’s hand. “Thank you. And I’m sorry, too.”

“Hey, I get it. You were worried. That’s why I’m not going anywhere in case you freak out again,” she teased. She squeezed his hand kindly. “You two will be fine.” She wave to them as she walked out the door.

Cameron sighed and hugged Kirsten tightly. “Right. We’ll be fine…”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is so short but the next one is very long!!

Nurses came in later that night for blood work. Cameron pried Kirsten’s arm off of him so they could get into the vein already poked.

“What are these for?” asked Cameron.

“Mostly just to run the basic tests that we do on all patients, along with some to test for infections, STDs, and pregnancy,” explained the nurse as she popped in one of the vials.

“Pregnant…?” he murmured softly. It never crossed his mind. Why? No idea. She was raped so many times; why didn’t he think she would be pregnant? “Could she be pregnant if she was on the pill?”

The nurse shrugged. “Potentially. The chances are smaller, but they are still there.”

“I’m not on the pill…” groaned Kirsten. “And he never used condoms.” She sighed heavily. “Last period was about three weeks ago. Shit…”

“Well, we’ll test your blood and see, okay?” She filled some more vials of blood then handed Kirsten a juice. “Get some sugar in you. I’ll have a meal tray sent up, okay? Any requests?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat, even if it’s small.”

Kirsten sighed. “Fruit. I don’t care.”

The nurse nodded and left the room. Kirsten buried her face into Cameron’s shoulder. “Shit…” she cursed.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he assured, running his fingers through her hair.

“No, it’s not. I’m not mother material. I barely understand emotions and feelings as is; I’m still trying to figure out which ones feel like what. I-I can’t love and take care of a child! I’m only twenty-four-years-old. I still have a roommate, college to complete, an on-call job—”

“Kirsten, Kirsten, relax. You’re okay. It’s all going to be okay. If you are pregnant, then I’ll be there to help you. I’ll be there, Camille and Linus will be there, and we will all be here to help you. You’re not doing this alone, Stretch. And don’t get yourself all worried over nothing. Maybe you’re not pregnant.”

“Cam, last week was my fertile window. Chances are pretty damn high right now.”

“There are options. You can—”

“Abort it? Give it up for adoption? Hope for a miscarriage? I can’t do any of that! I know what it’s like to be abandoned by a parent; I don’t want this kid feeling like that ever, even if it’s adopted at a baby age. And our whole job is about protecting lives and giving voices to those who lost theirs. I-I don’t think I can bring myself to kill it. I don’t know what to do…”

“You’re letting your emotions get in the way of making decisions. You can’t—”

“Emotions? How can I _not_ let my emotions get in the way of this?! There might be another living human inside me from that-that…I don’t even know what to call him! That invader! No, I-I can’t…” She shook her head, closing her eyes slowly.

“Look,” Cameron started, “I know you’re freaking out, but no matter what happens, it’ll be for the best, okay?”

She nodded, gripping his shirt tightly. “Right. Because this whole damn situation is ‘for the best.’”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my less-realistic chapters, but I hope you enjoy.

The next morning, Daniel—the nurse that was able to calm her before—came in to prep Kirsten for her MRI. He went over the simple examine in great detail and offered to answer any questions she or Cameron might have.

“Can he come with me?” she asked.

Cameron looked at her; he was now sitting in the chair.

Daniel shrugged. “Probably not. That’s not really how we do things.”

“Even though he’s a neuroscientist and can probably detect things quicker and better than any of you?”

“Kirsten,” Cameron said sternly. “You’ll be okay. I’ll be here whenever you get back, promise.”

“Please, just let him come and watch,” Kirsten begged.

Daniel sighed. “You tell no one about this, okay?” He turned his attention to Cameron. “I’m gonna go snag you a pair of scrubs to put on so you don’t get questioned. If anyone asks, you’re shadowing me just for today. Understood?”

Cameron nodded furiously. “Yes. Thank you so much.”

He smiled. “Anything to keep the girls happy. I’ll be back in a few.”

Kirsten sighed in heavy relief. “God, he’s nice.”

“Why do you want me with you so badly?” asked Cameron.

She looked at him with wide eyes. “I-I don’t trust anyone.”

“So you want me attached to your hip?” he teased.

She smiled and pushed him playfully. “Stop. You just…I don’t know. You make things better. And I know in MRIs you have to stay still in a specific position, and I’m just not comfortable doing that.”

Cameron nodded. He tried his best to understand, but he knew he never could. “It’ll be just like a stitch. They have microphones in there, and I’ll talk you through it, okay?”

Kirsten nodded with a wide smile. “Thank you.”

Daniel returned with a pair of blue scrubs matching his own. “Go get changed while I help Kirsten into a wheelchair,” he said.

Cameron took the clothes and went into the bathroom. Kirsten pushed herself weakly. It felt good to finally move, but on the other hand, it hurt like hell. All the bruises and broken bones just hurt. Daniel pulled the wheelchair up to the side of the bed and lowered the gray bar. “Here, I’m going to help you. Is it okay if I pick you up?” he asked politely.

Kirsten felt panic rush through her briefly but nodded, knowing that it be best to have assistance. Daniel put an arm under her legs and a hand on her back and simply slid her into the seat. “There you go…” he said softly. “Do you want a blanket?” She nodded, so he grabbed the top one off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Cozy?” he grinned. She nodded again just as Cameron walked out of the bathroom.

“How do I look?” he asked with a smirk.

“Like the nerdy doctor you are,” teased Kirsten.

“Ha ha, very funny.” He walked over to them. “You sure this is going to work?”

Daniel nodded. “We’re not very crowded right now, so not many nurses are on staff. We shouldn’t get too many questions if any.”

He wheeled Kirsten out of the room with Cameron following closely behind. Kirsten held onto the blanket tightly, trying to conceal her body as much as possible. They walked by the waiting room and saw Camille and Linus sitting there talking with Fisher. She knew the time would come eventually, but she was far from thrilled about talking and recollecting her experience.

The three went down a few hallways before coming to a door with a sign reading “Authorized Personnel Only.” She glanced back at Cameron who simply winked at her.

“Hey, Craig,” smiled Daniel as they walked into the scanning room.

The technician behind the glass nodded towards him. “Who’s your friend?” he asked.

“Shadow intern. He’s from another hospital for today because his guy is sick. I offered to help.”

Craig nodded. “Alright. She’s ready to go once your girl is loaded up.”

Kirsten cringed at being referred as simply “a girl” and sounding like she was a possession. Daniel wheeled her over to the large machine with the table already extended out.

“Okay,” started Daniel, “we’re gonna lift you up here. You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, shrugging off the blanket. “Yeah, I will be. Do I have to keep my eyes open for this?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just lay there as still as possible.”

She nodded. Cameron and Daniel worked together to lift her up. Kirsten kept her eyes on Cameron. “This doesn’t take too long, right?”

Cameron shook his head. “No. Five minutes max,” he lied. He watched the fear fill Kirsten’s eyes as Daniel placed the head monitor over her. “Relax, Stretch. I’m gonna be right over in there talking you through, okay? Just close your eyes and pretend you’re stitching.”

She nodded and did just that. Daniel pressed a few buttons that sent Kirsten into the machine. Once inside the protective glass room, he asked Cameron, “What’s stitching? Like stitching up a seam on a pair of jeans?” he joked.

Cameron’s eyes widened. “Um, n-no. It’s what we do at work. It’s like…virtual reality. The video game binds together the player’s brain to the game in a way so then it seems like one. It’s all prototyping right now, and she normally tests.” That made sense, right? Virtual reality, video games; seems plausible.

Daniel nodded. “Sounds cool. Wanna talk to her, make sure she’s good to go?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” He pushed down the button to the microphone to speak to Kirsten. “Alright, Ace, you ready?”

“Yup,” she responded. The machine began to whir. “Cameron?” she spoke nervously.

“Yeah, I’m right here.”

“Okay…okay…” She took some deep breaths trying to remain calm.

“You’re doing great in there,” he assured. “Try not to move too much.”

Kirsten laid there still, heartrate slowly increasing. Cameron could tell just by the way she was breathing. “Hey, talk to me, Stretch. Pretend you’re in a stitch, tell me a story.”

Inhaling deeply, she began. “Isabella…she had a life before everything. She…was going through a rough patch. She had a family that wanted the best. But she ran off, got into the wrong crowd. She didn’t do drugs or have sex with strangers every night; she just liked to party and get drunk. I guess it was that independence age.” She continued to ramble on about Isabella and what her life could’ve been like before David.

After about twenty minutes, the machine shut off. Kirsten managed to talk the whole time, going further and further back into Isabella’s life. She opened her eyes and looked around, the headgear still on. “A-am I done?” she asked.

Cameron and Daniel walked into the room. “Yup,” said Cameron, “and you did great.” Daniel operated the machine and slid Kirsten out. Cameron removed the head piece and helped Kirsten sit up. “You good?” he asked.

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and waiting for him to place her in the wheelchair. “Yeah,” she said, “I’m okay.”


End file.
